1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to taxation; property tax; modifying the 
  1.3             definition of certain contiguous commercial-industrial 
  1.4             parcels; amending Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, 
  1.5             section 273.13, subdivision 24. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  1.8   273.13, subdivision 24, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 24.  [CLASS 3.] (a) Commercial and industrial 
  1.10  property and utility real and personal property is class 3a.  
  1.11  Each parcel of real property has a class rate of 2.4 percent of 
  1.12  the first tier of market value, and 3.4 percent of the remaining 
  1.13  market value, except that in the case of contiguous parcels of 
  1.14  property owned by the same person or entity, only the value 
  1.15  equal to the first-tier value of the contiguous parcels 
  1.16  qualifies for the reduced class rate, except that contiguous 
  1.17  parcels owned by the same person or entity shall be eligible for 
  1.18  the first-tier value class rate on each separate business 
  1.19  operated by the owner, provided the business is housed in a 
  1.20  separate structure.  For the purposes of this subdivision, the 
  1.21  first tier means the first $150,000 of market value.  Real 
  1.22  property owned in fee by a utility for transmission line 
  1.23  right-of-way shall be classified at the class rate for the 
  1.24  higher tier.  All personal property shall be classified at the 
  1.25  class rate for the higher tier.  For purposes of this 
  2.1   subdivision "personal property" means tools, implements, and 
  2.2   machinery of an electric generating, transmission, or 
  2.3   distribution system, or a pipeline system transporting or 
  2.4   distributing water, gas, crude oil, or petroleum products or 
  2.5   mains and pipes used in the distribution of steam or hot or 
  2.6   chilled water for heating or cooling buildings, which are 
  2.7   fixtures. 
  2.8      For purposes of this paragraph, parcels are considered to 
  2.9   be contiguous even if they are separated from each other by a 
  2.10  road, street, vacant lot, waterway, or other similar intervening 
  2.11  type of property.  Property owners who have contiguous parcels 
  2.12  of property that constitute separate businesses that may qualify 
  2.13  for the first-tier class rate shall notify the county assessor 
  2.14  by July 1, for treatment beginning in the following taxes 
  2.15  payable year. 
  2.16     (b) Employment property defined in section 469.166, during 
  2.17  the period provided in section 469.170, shall constitute class 
  2.18  3b.  The class rates for class 3b property are determined under 
  2.19  paragraph (a). 
  2.20     (c)(1) Subject to the limitations of clause (2), structures 
  2.21  which are (i) located on property classified as class 3a, (ii) 
  2.22  constructed under an initial building permit issued after 
  2.23  January 2, 1996, (iii) located in a transit zone as defined 
  2.24  under section 473.3915, subdivision 3, (iv) located within the 
  2.25  boundaries of a school district, and (v) not primarily used for 
  2.26  retail or transient lodging purposes, shall have a class rate 
  2.27  equal to the lesser of 2.975 percent or the class rate of the 
  2.28  second tier of the commercial property rate under paragraph (a) 
  2.29  on any portion of the market value that does not qualify for the 
  2.30  first tier class rate under paragraph (a).  As used in item (v), 
  2.31  a structure is primarily used for retail or transient lodging 
  2.32  purposes if over 50 percent of its square footage is used for 
  2.33  those purposes.  A class rate equal to the lesser of 2.975 
  2.34  percent or the class rate of the second tier of the commercial 
  2.35  property class rate under paragraph (a) shall also apply to 
  2.36  improvements to existing structures that meet the requirements 
  3.1   of items (i) to (v) if the improvements are constructed under an 
  3.2   initial building permit issued after January 2, 1996, even if 
  3.3   the remainder of the structure was constructed prior to January 
  3.4   2, 1996.  For the purposes of this paragraph, a structure shall 
  3.5   be considered to be located in a transit zone if any portion of 
  3.6   the structure lies within the zone.  If any property once 
  3.7   eligible for treatment under this paragraph ceases to remain 
  3.8   eligible due to revisions in transit zone boundaries, the 
  3.9   property shall continue to receive treatment under this 
  3.10  paragraph for a period of three years. 
  3.11     (2) This clause applies to any structure qualifying for the 
  3.12  transit zone reduced class rate under clause (1) on January 2, 
  3.13  1999, or any structure meeting any of the qualification criteria 
  3.14  in item (i) and otherwise qualifying for the transit zone 
  3.15  reduced class rate under clause (1).  Such a structure continues 
  3.16  to receive the transit zone reduced class rate until the 
  3.17  occurrence of one of the events in item (ii).  Property 
  3.18  qualifying under item (i)(D), that is located outside of a city 
  3.19  of the first class, qualifies for the transit zone reduced class 
  3.20  rate as provided in that item.  Property qualifying under item 
  3.21  (i)(E) qualifies for the transit zone reduced class rate as 
  3.22  provided in that item. 
  3.23     (i) A structure qualifies for the rate in this clause if it 
  3.24  is: 
  3.25     (A) property for which a building permit was issued before 
  3.26  December 31, 1998; or 
  3.27     (B) property for which a building permit was issued before 
  3.28  June 30, 2001, if: 
  3.29     (I) at least 50 percent of the land on which the structure 
  3.30  is to be built has been acquired or is the subject of signed 
  3.31  purchase agreements or signed options as of March 15, 1998, by 
  3.32  the entity that proposes construction of the project or an 
  3.33  affiliate of the entity; 
  3.34     (II) signed agreements have been entered into with one 
  3.35  entity or with affiliated entities to lease for the account of 
  3.36  the entity or affiliated entities at least 50 percent of the 
  4.1   square footage of the structure or the owner of the structure 
  4.2   will occupy at least 50 percent of the square footage of the 
  4.3   structure; and 
  4.4      (III) one of the following requirements is met: 
  4.5      the project proposer has submitted the completed data 
  4.6   portions of an environmental assessment worksheet by December 
  4.7   31, 1998; or 
  4.8      a notice of determination of adequacy of an environmental 
  4.9   impact statement has been published by April 1, 1999; or 
  4.10     an alternative urban areawide review has been completed by 
  4.11  April 1, 1999; or 
  4.12     (C) property for which a building permit is issued before 
  4.13  July 30, 1999, if: 
  4.14     (I) at least 50 percent of the land on which the structure 
  4.15  is to be built has been acquired or is the subject of signed 
  4.16  purchase agreements as of March 31, 1998, by the entity that 
  4.17  proposes construction of the project or an affiliate of the 
  4.18  entity; 
  4.19     (II) a signed agreement has been entered into between the 
  4.20  building developer and a tenant to lease for its own account at 
  4.21  least 200,000 square feet of space in the building; 
  4.22     (III) a signed letter of intent is entered into by July 1, 
  4.23  1998, between the building developer and the tenant to lease the 
  4.24  space for its own account; and 
  4.25     (IV) the environmental review process required by state law 
  4.26  was commenced by December 31, 1998; 
  4.27     (D) property for which an irrevocable letter of credit with 
  4.28  a housing and redevelopment authority was signed before December 
  4.29  31, 1998.  The structure shall receive the transit zone reduced 
  4.30  class rate during construction and for the duration of time that 
  4.31  the original tenants remain in the building.  Any unoccupied net 
  4.32  leasable square footage that is not leased within 36 months 
  4.33  after the certificate of occupancy has been issued for the 
  4.34  building shall not be eligible to receive the reduced class 
  4.35  rate.  This reduced class rate applies only if the entity that 
  4.36  constructed the structure continues to own the property; 
  5.1      (E) property, located in a city of the first class, and for 
  5.2   which the building permits for the excavation, the parking ramp, 
  5.3   and the office tower were issued prior to April 1, 1999, shall 
  5.4   receive the reduced class rate during construction and for the 
  5.5   first five assessment years immediately following its initial 
  5.6   occupancy provided that, when completed, at least 25 percent of 
  5.7   the net leasable square footage must be occupied by the entity 
  5.8   or the parent entity constructing the structure each year during 
  5.9   this time period.  In order to receive the reduced class rate on 
  5.10  the structure in any subsequent assessment years, at least 50 
  5.11  percent of the rentable square footage must be occupied by the 
  5.12  entity or the parent entity that constructed the structure.  
  5.13  This reduced class rate applies only if the entity or the parent 
  5.14  entity that constructed the structure continues to own the 
  5.15  property. 
  5.16     (ii) A structure specified by this clause, other than a 
  5.17  structure qualifying under clause (i)(D) or (E), shall continue 
  5.18  to receive the transit zone reduced class rate until the 
  5.19  occurrence of one of the following events: 
  5.20     (A) if the structure upon initial occupancy will be owner 
  5.21  occupied by the entity initially constructing the structure or 
  5.22  an affiliated entity, the structure receives the reduced class 
  5.23  rate until the structure ceases to be at least 50 percent 
  5.24  occupied by the entity or an affiliated entity, provided, if the 
  5.25  portion of the structure occupied by that entity or an affiliate 
  5.26  of the entity is less than 85 percent, the transit zone class 
  5.27  rate reduction for the portion of structure not so occupied 
  5.28  terminates upon the leasing of such space to any nonaffiliated 
  5.29  entity; or 
  5.30     (B) if the structure is leased by a single entity or 
  5.31  affiliated entity at the time of initial occupancy, the 
  5.32  structure shall receive the reduced class rate until the 
  5.33  structure ceases to be at least 50 percent occupied by the 
  5.34  entity or an affiliated entity, provided, if the portion of the 
  5.35  structure occupied by that entity or an affiliate of the entity 
  5.36  is less than 85 percent, the transit zone class rate reduction 
  6.1   for the portion of structure not so occupied shall terminate 
  6.2   upon the leasing of such space to any nonaffiliated entity; or 
  6.3      (C) if the structure meets the criteria in item (i)(C), the 
  6.4   structure shall receive the reduced class rate until the 
  6.5   expiration of the initial lease term of the applicable tenants. 
  6.6      Percentages occupied or leased shall be determined based 
  6.7   upon net leasable square footage in the structure.  The assessor 
  6.8   shall allocate the value of the structure in the same fashion as 
  6.9   provided in the general law for portions of any structure 
  6.10  receiving and not receiving the transit tax class reduction as a 
  6.11  result of this clause. 
  6.12     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  6.13     Section 1 is effective for the 2000 assessment, taxes 
  6.14  payable in 2001, and thereafter.